You asked, Ken answers ...

When I was looking for an administrative assistant, one of the job requirements was knowledge of office software. I hired an individual who had all of the other skills, but no experience or training on office software. She said she could learn it easily, but she still makes mistakes every day. The program has a help function, and I have suggested that she use it, but the result is the same. Do you believe this is grounds for termination?

If an employee absolutely cannot master responsibilities that are essential to successful job performance, then neither the employer nor the employee is going to be satisfied. On the one hand, with many of today's employees being classified as "at will," you probably do have grounds to terminate her. At the same time, since she is qualified for the job in so many areas, you should be certain that she cannot handle the office software that is so important in your company.

Although her performance has been poor, perhaps the real element that has been poor is the training you have provided. Although some people can learn these programs by using the "help" tool, it is important to recognize that people have different learning styles. You should consider some other training approaches, such as a tutorial or a class for her to receive some hands-on training.

If you terminate her now, you will be doing so without giving her a real chance to learn this program. It sounds like there may be a real learning opportunity here for both of you.

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